RACQ spokesperson Lucinda Ross said local motorists might be surprised by the news, after the region was hit with a record high daily average price of 168.8cpl in October.

“While the Gold Coast’s yearly average was cheaper than most other Queensland towns and cities, motorists still forked out more for fuel in 2018 than they had in previous years,” Ms Ross said.

“Last year’s average was 12.6cpl higher than it was in 2017. This was largely due to a very volatile global oil price, which impacted drivers at bowsers right across the State.”

Ms Ross said retail margins charged by local service stations were fairer than those in other nearby locations.

“The indicative retail margin on the Gold Coast was 9.4cpl last year, which was 3.4cpl and 2.4cpl lower than it was on the Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane, respectively,” she said.

The current average for ULP on the Gold Coast was 110.7cpl, and Ms Ross said the local market was in the cheap phase of the cycle.

“Gold Coast motorists shouldn’t become complacent. While prices are currently low across the south east, we all need to shop around using apps like RACQ’s Fair Fuel Finder to fill up at the bottom of the cycle and to support the servos selling at the best price.”